Simulation test chambers are chambers designed to replicate certain environmental conditions. Objects are placed in the chambers and are evaluated to see how well the object performs under certain conditions. A test chamber may be refrigerated to cold temperatures or may be heated to certain high temperatures. Along with the temperature, humidity is also controlled to see how an object performs under various humid conditions.
In order to provide humidity for a test chamber, a steam generator is often used. In some steam generators, steam is generated by applying water to a heating element. The heating element boils the water and generates steam. Not supplying enough water to the heating element can cause a multitude of problems, including not generating the proper amount of steam and also other problems associated with overheating the heating element.
Other problems associated with current steam generators are that valves and other moving parts which may contribute to the control and/or operation of the steam generator may be located in hard to access areas. Locating moving parts that need servicing in hard to access areas may increase the difficulty of servicing and/or manufacturing the steam generator. Other problems with some known steam generators are that they have complex designs which result in high manufacturing costs.
Another problem associated with some steam generators is that they are hard to clean and service. Additionally, they may not easily allow water to be drained from them in order to flush sediment and other types of build-up that occur within the steam generator.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a steam generator and method of generating steam that uses a steam generator of a simplified design and is less expensive to manufacture that prior art generators. It is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for generating steam that locates the valves and other moving parts in easy to access locations to simplify service of the steam generator. It is also desirable to provide a method and apparatus for generating steam that provides a steam generator that allows for simplified cleaning and flushing the system to remove sediment and other types of buildup.